Most California employers with even one employee have needed a workplace violence prevention plan since July 1, 2024. If you have staff in California who work on site or with the public, SB 553 likely applies to you.
When it does, you need four things. A written WVPP that fits your worksite, a violent incident log kept five years, an annual review with employee input, and interactive training with records. Does SB 553 apply to me is not abstract. It is five checks you can run now.
The 5 checks in 60 seconds
The checker mirrors how inspectors screen first. It clears up the usual confusion about health care or remote work.
Does SB 553 apply to you?
Answer these 5 quick checks:
Is your business in California?
SB 553 only applies to California employers.
Do you have employees?
At least one employee triggers WVPP + log + training duties.
Are you in a low-risk exempt setting?
Healthcare under §3342, remote-only, or truly solo work may be exempt.
Have you had a violent incident in the past 5 years?
All types count for the 5-year log.
Do you review your WVPP annually?
At least once per year with employee involvement.
What each check means.
California location. Any employee who works in California counts, even part time. A Delaware LLC with a Fresno warehouse is in.
You have employees. One W2 is enough. Solo operators with no employees are not covered until they hire.
Not in a narrow exemption. Health facilities already under Section 3342, employees who never report to a site you control, and a few law enforcement settings are handled differently. Retail, restaurant, warehouse, and field service are not exempt.
Worksites with public or coworker contact. Shared buildings, cash handling, opening or closing alone, or meeting clients puts you in scope. That is most on site work in the state.
You have not done an annual review with staff input. This catches almost everyone. A plan on file is not enough under Labor Code §6401.9(c)(2)(B) without dated proof that employees helped build it.
If you are yes to California, yes to employees, and no to narrow exemption, you are likely covered.
Why a template alone will not cover you
This is where PDFs get you cited.
Section 6401.9(c)(2)(B) requires active employee involvement in developing and implementing the plan, including identifying and correcting hazards, designing training, and reporting and investigating incidents. Cal/OSHA does not only read the binder. Inspectors ask your team, were you asked to help find hazards, do you know how to report, have you seen the plan.
A template signed only by a manager answers no to all three. The gap is not writing. It is proof. You can have 21 sections and still fail.
Subilu fixes this with a short survey pushed to employee phones after you draft the plan. Responses are timestamped and injected into the WVPP as an involvement log. An inspector can see who was asked, when, and what changed because of it.
Edge cases that still surprise owners
Remote only. If everyone works where you do not control the site, you may be outside the rules. Add one hybrid day and that changes.
Health care under Section 3342 follows that rule, not SB 553. Other medical offices are not exempt.
Multiple sites. Each worksite needs its own assessment. A generic plan copied across Fresno, Bakersfield, and Stockton fails the site specific test in Section 6401.9(c)(2)(F) and (G). One structure is fine, but hazards per address.
No prior incident. You still need the log. Keep it five years and produce it within 15 days of a request. An empty log with the right fields passes. No log does not.
What to do if SB 553 applies to you
You do not need 100 questions. You need a plan that describes your operations and proof your team helped.
Subilu does this in five live pieces. WVPP wizard to 21 sections plus 4 appendices, silent log with private and employee safe views, hazard tasks with verification, mobile training that records Q and A, and an export suite with three separate files. PDF and DOCX for the plan, CSV or PDF for the log, CSV for training. No bundled ZIP.
Start with the checker above. If it says you are covered, walk one location with the manager on duty. Fix that site, then repeat.
Not legal advice. Source: Labor Code §6401.9 and DIR WVPP guidance. Next: Why Your SB 553 PDF Will Fail a Cal/OSHA Audit and Your WVPP in 21 Sections.